Intelligent assignment and data management of stored media content

ABSTRACT

A remote storage digital video recorder (RSDVR) retains multiple copies of media programs so long as the copies are expected to be useful to at least one user. Rather than assigning copies to specific users at the time the program is recorded, copies can be assigned as the users request access to the particular media programs. Copies of unassigned programs can be deleted according to a schedule to reduce disk storage and processing demands on the system. A pool of program copies that are not initially assigned to particular users can be maintained until the user makes a specific request to view the program. This “late assignment” of program copies can substantially reduce the amount of data stored by the RSDVR system without substantially impacting the viewer experience.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/852,808 filed on Jun. 29, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,611,786. Thatapplication claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 63/216,461 filed on Jun. 29, 2021. These applications areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following discussion generally relates to remote storage digitalvideo recorders (RSDVRs) that record media content for subsequentviewing over the Internet or another digital network.

BACKGROUND

Digital video recorders (DVRs) are becoming increasingly popular withtelevision viewers. While viewers of the past generally had to watchtheir television content at the time that the content was broadcast,DVRs allow viewers to “time shift” their content viewing to moreconvenient times after the broadcast has already occurred, or even whilethe broadcast is ongoing. In addition to the convenience of timeshifting, most DVRs allow trick play functions such as fast forward,rewind and pause that are not generally available from a live broadcast.Due to the additional conveniences provided, many, if not most,television viewers now prefer the viewing experience provided by the DVRto that provided by a live broadcast.

Local storage digital video recorders (LSDVRs) are commonly found inhomes, places of business and the like. These devices typically recordprograms received via a cable, satellite, network or terrestrialbroadcast for subsequent viewing by an owner of the device. LSDVRs areoften incorporated into set top boxes (STBs) used to receive cable ordigital broadcast satellite (DBS) broadcasts. Other LSDVRs can be usedto record terrestrial broadcasts or other content as desired. Oneexample of an LSDVR used to record broadcast television content isdescribed in WIPO Publication WO2020/049593.

In recent years, remote storage digital video recorders (RSDVRs) havebeen more widely deployed. These modern DVR devices make use of cloudcomputing resources to store media content at a centralized location sothat users can later access the content remotely via the Internet oranother digital network. RSDVRs provide for centralized management andefficient delivery of streaming media to large numbers of simultaneoususers. Moreover, media storage “in the cloud” frequently provides moreconvenient access to stored media content from any number of differentdevices and locations.

Managing a centralized RSDVR system, however, can present numerouschallenges, particularly when the system is used by many simultaneoususers. It can be a particular challenge to simultaneously record largenumbers of copies of the same program, for example, and to manage thevarious copies across multiple users. At the very least, the amount ofdisk or other mass storage required to maintain multiple copies ofmultiple programs recorded by multiple users can be substantial. Thisproblem is compounded by modern adaptive media streaming techniques thattypically encode each media program at different bitrates (or otherquality levels) to accommodate different client devices across amultitude of ever-changing networks. Several examples of adaptivestreaming techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,818,444, althoughother techniques, processes and systems could be equivalently used.

It is therefore desirable to create systems, devices and automatedprocesses that can improve the management of stored media content in aremote storage digital video recorder.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various embodiments relate to automated processes, computing systems,devices and other aspects of a remote storage digital video recorder(RSDVR) in which multiple copies of a media program are retained so longas they are expected to be useful to at least one user, but otherwiseremoved to reduce disk storage and processing demands on the system.Additional embodiments can record a pool of program copies that are notinitially assigned to particular users until the user makes a specificrequest to view the program. This “late assignment” can substantiallyreduce the amount of data stored by the RSDVR system withoutsubstantially impacting the viewer experience.

In one example, the RSDVR system executes an automated process under thedirection of software and/or firmware instructions that are stored in anon-transitory data storage for execution by one or more processors. Theautomated process suitably allows for an initial determination of anumber of copies of a media program to be recorded for later viewing bythe various viewers. Rather than assigning specific copies to specificviewers at the time of recording, however, the system can perform a“late assignment” of one or more program copies on an as-needed basis.That is, copies are not initially assigned to a specific viewer untilthe viewer indicates a desire to actually view the content. At viewingtime, the RSDVR assigns a specific copy of the desired program to theviewer from the pool of available copies. This allows for more efficientallocation of program copies to only those users who actually view theprogram, thereby potentially conserving storage, processing time,bandwidth and other resources that would have otherwise gone torecording copies of programs that may never be viewed.

Some embodiments may additionally or alternately delete the pooledcopies as their likelihood of usefulness diminishes. That is, as timepasses after the initial recording, the number of viewers who remaininterested in the program usually diminishes. This reduced interest canallow the RSDVR system to delete one or more pooled (but unassigned)copies of the program, thereby freeing up resources without substantialrisk of a viewer losing access to a program that is actually desired.

Some example embodiments provide a network server system that deliversrecorded media programs to a plurality of viewers, the system comprisinga processor, non-transitory data storage and an interface to a network.The non-transitory data storage suitably comprises computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by the processor, perform an automatedprocess. The automated process suitably comprises: recording an initialnumber of copies of a media program for storage by the network serversystem; after the initial number of copies of the media program havebeen recorded, subsequently receiving requests from at least some of theviewers to view a copy of the media program; assigning, in response toeach of the subsequently-received requests, one of thepreviously-recorded copies to the viewer making the request to therebypermit access to the assigned copy of the media program by the viewer;and subsequently deleting at least some of the previously-recordedcopies of the media program that are not yet assigned to any of theplurality of viewers.

Other embodiments provide an automated process performed by a remotestorage digital video recorder (RSDVR) system comprising anon-transitory data storage, a processor and an interface to a network.The automated process suitably comprises: initially determining a numberof copies of a media program to be recorded for later viewing by aplurality of viewers having access to the RSDVR system; storing thenumber of copies of the media program in a pooled arrangement by theRSDVR system, wherein individual copies of the media program are notassigned to a specific viewer at the time of storage; after the numberof copies are stored, subsequently responding to requests from theplurality of viewers, wherein the requests indicate a desire to obtainaccess to a copy of the media program stored by the RSDVR system; andresponding to each of the requests by performing, by the RSDVR system, alate assignment in which one of the copies in the pooled arrangement isassigned to the viewer making the request to thereby provide the viewerwith access to the assigned copy of the media program.

Various embodiments may provide additional systems, devices andautomated processes as set forth herein.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an RSDVR system that performsintelligent assignment and/or retention of media content stored in adata storage.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example process performed by a RSDVR systemfor intelligently managing the assignment and/or retention of mediacontent stored in a data storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is intended to provide severalexamples that will illustrate the broader concepts that are set forthherein, but it is not intended to limit the invention or the applicationand uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to bebound by any theory presented in the preceding background or thefollowing detailed description.

According to various embodiments, a remote storage digital videorecorder (RSDVR) system creates a “pool” of program copies that canlater be assigned to specific users for playback. Users that requestprogram recordings will always have a unique copy of the recording thatis available to them, but the total number of recordings made by theRSDVR system can be reduced in expectation that at least some viewerswill not use the recordings that they have requested. Moreover, thelikelihood that a recorded copy will go unused typically increases withtime following the initial broadcast of the program, so the RSDVR systemcan proactively delete at least some of the unassigned copies over timeto free up resources. Alternatively, the RSDVR system can delete onlycertain versions of a copy (e.g., higher or middle quality programstreams) while retaining at least one other version of the copy, therebyreducing the need for storage space over time. These basic concepts maybe adapted and expanded in any number of equivalent embodiments, some ofwhich are described herein.

With reference now to FIG. 1 , a data processing system 100 for managingrecordings of media content suitably includes an RSDVR server system 120that communicates with any number of client devices 102A, 102B, . . . ,102N via a network 105. Users of client devices 102A-N typicallyinteract with the RSDVR system 120 to direct the recording of televisionbroadcasts or other media, and to receive digitally encoded copies forplayback at a later time. RSDVR system 120 receives and records theselected programs 132 in a data storage 130. The various copies of thevarious programs recorded may be described in metadata 140A-N that isprocessed by RSDVR system 120 to assign copies to various users ofsystem 100, and to perform intelligent deletion of program copies as setforth herein.

Client devices 102A, 102B, . . . , 102N represent any type of computingdevice that is capable of communicating with RSDVR system 120 vianetwork 105 to direct the recording and playback of media programs.Typically, client devices 102A-N include conventional computing hardware(e.g., one or more processors, memory and input/output interfaces)performing the various functions described herein under the direction ofsoftware and/or firmware that is stored on the device 102 and executedby the processor of the device. Examples of client devices 102A-N couldinclude personal computers, mobile phones, tablet computers, mediaplayers, set top boxes, video game players and the like. Client devices102A-N are typically consumer-type devices operated by particular users,subscribers or viewers of content, as appropriate. In manyimplementations, users of client devices 102A-N create accounts withRSDVR system 120 so that RSDVR system 120 can be accessed from multipledifferent user devices 102, as appropriate.

Network 105 is any public and/or private network capable of supportingdigital communications as described herein. In various embodiments,network 105 includes the Internet, a mobile phone network, a wireless orwired local area network, and/or the like. Generally speaking, network105 operates using TCP/IP or similar protocols that support peer-to-peerand client/server interactions as desired.

RSDVR system 120 is a network-based computing system built uponcomputing hardware 121 that includes one or more processors 121, memoryor other non-transitory data storage 122, and appropriate input/outputinterfaces 123. The hardware 121 typically operates under the directionof an operating system (e.g., any version of the LINUX operating systemor the like), which in turn supports one or more application programs125 for receiving content, interacting with client devices 102, managingrecording and allocation of program copies, encoding and deliveringrecorded content, and/or any other functions that may be desired.

In the example of FIG. 1 , RSDVR system 120 interacts with a disk arrayor other non-transitory mass storage 130 to store recorded programs forsubsequent access and retrieval. Storage 130 is typically a highcapacity mass storage that includes any number of disk drives or similarmagnetic media, although other embodiments could make use of solidstate, optical and/or other non-transitory storage media as desired.U.S. Pat. No. 9,601,153 provides one example of a system forintelligently storing and retrieving media content in an RSDVR system,although other embodiments could use other components and techniques asdesired.

As media programs are received by RSDVR system 120, any number ofrecordings can be made to support subsequent retrieval and viewing byany number of client devices 102. Programs may be received viasatellite, via digital network connections, via terrestrial broadcasts,or via any other source. Program copies 132 are stored in data storage130 for subsequent retrieval and transmission to client devices 102A-N.Program copies may be encoded or transcoded for transmission in anymanner. In some embodiments, encoding/transcoding takes place afterinitial storage but prior to the user request for playback. Otherimplementations may perform live encoding during playback (e.g.,placeshifting), if desired.

As noted above, various embodiments allocate specific copies of thestored programs 132 to viewers when the programs are requested forviewing, rather than at the time of initial storage. Although each userretains its own unique copy of the recorded program, the late bindingreduces waste by reducing the number of requested-but-never-used copies.If a hundred users create recording timers or similar requests for thesame program, for example, it can be expected that only 40% or so ofthose users will actually watch the program recording. If RSDVR system120 were to record only fifty copies for the one hundred users, then, itwill still have an adequate number of program copies to provide a uniquecopy to every user who actually watches the program. But the wastedresources (disk space, encoder resources, electric power, etc.)previously used to store one hundred separate copies of the same programcan be reduced.

Even further, it is reasonable to expect that the demand for the programwill diminish in the hours, days, weeks and months following the initialbroadcast. That is, viewers become less likely to watch recordedprograms as the time following the broadcast increases. The graph shownin FIG. 1 shows that the number of needed copies suitably diminishesover time as viewers either watch the program, or lose interest.Moreover, it is reasonable to expect that viewings on home based mediadevices such as media players and STBs (shown in curve 126) tend todiminish more quickly than viewings on mobile devices (shown in curve127). It can therefore be reasonable to delete the higher quality (e.g.,4 k) copies used by home-type devices before deleting lower-qualitycopies typically used by smaller-screen devices such as mobile phonesand tablets.

In the example of FIG. 1 , each of the programs 132 stored in datastorage 130 is described by metadata 140A, 140B, 140C, . . . , 140N,with each program having its own metadata 140. In this example, eachprogram will have a determined number of copies 144 that may beallocated 146 to specific user accounts associated with client devices102 as needed. In a conventional RSDVR system, each copy of each programis assigned to a particular user account or device 102 when therecording is created. The number of copies made, then, is typicallybased upon the number of recording timers that have been set. Eachviewer that created an a priori recording timer for the program willgenerally have its own allocated copy of the program, regardless ofwhether the program copy is ever actually viewed by the user. As notedabove, this creates substantial waste of storage capacity and computingresources since many (or even most) of the recordings that are made willnever be used.

Various embodiments therefore maintain the copies 135 in storage 130 asunassigned until the program is actually requested by a user of a clientdevice 102. When the program is requested, then a copy of the program135 can be assigned to that user by updating metadata 146, therebypreventing re-assignment of the same copy to another user. The allocatedcopy may also be retained from subsequent purging, if desired.

As noted above, adaptive media streaming often makes use of multipleencodings of a program to accommodate different types of client devices102, evolving network conditions, and the like. To that end, may RSDVRsystems 120 maintain multiple copies of each program that are eachencoded with different bitrates, frame rates, resolution and/or otherquality parameters as appropriate. This allows high quality streaming tomore powerful devices having high bandwidth connections (e.g., a homemedia streaming device having access to a broadband connection) as wellas lower quality streaming to smaller devices and/or devices with lessbandwidth available (e.g., mobile devices with small screens operatingover lower bandwidth mobile connections). In addition to maintainingmultiple copies of each recorded program, then, many embodiments alsostore additional copies 144 corresponding to the same program encoded atdifferent quality. The recorded copies 132 in data storage 130, then,include not only many copies of the same program, but also manysub-copies of the program (i.e., copies of the copy) encoded at multiplequality levels. Often, each program copy is stored with 5-10 differentquality levels, although other embodiments will use different numbers asdesired. But storing each copy of the program at multiple quality levelsgreatly increases the space needed in data storage 130.

Various embodiments therefore remove certain quality levels from storageover time, thereby reducing space consumed by the unused quality levels.Some implementations may retain certain quality levels while deletingothers, thereby still allowing access to the program copy, albeitpotentially at a less-than-optimal quality level. The greatest spacesavings will occur if the highest quality levels are removed, butsubstantial savings can still be realized if intermediate quality levelsare removed while retaining the higher levels. As shown in the graph inFIG. 1 , mobile content 127 may remain in demand longer than home-basedcontent 125, so it may be desirable to maintain more copies of the lowerquality encodings for a longer time than the higher quality encodings,if desired. Metadata 140 indicates that different programs may be storedwith multiple copies 144, each copy having multiple quality levels 142.To that end, different quality levels may be marked 146 for lateallocation, if desired Similarly, unallocated quality levels may bedeleted at a later time to free up space in data storage 130, asappropriate.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an automated process 200 performed by RSDVRsystem 120 to intelligently allocate program copies amongst users of thesystem 100, and to intelligently delete unallocated copies over time.Process 200 as illustrated in FIG. 2 includes the broad functions ofdetermining an appropriate number of recordings to make (function 202),assigning the different copies to viewers (functions 206, 208, 210,212), and removing unused copies over time as warranted (function 214).The various functions shown in FIG. 2 may be performed by software orfirmware instructions stored in memory 123 and executed by processor122, as desired. Equivalent embodiments may include additional functionsto those shown in FIG. 2 , and/or may arrange the various functions inanother manner.

The number of initial copies to be made for each media program may bedetermined in any manner (function 202). In various embodiments, thenumber of copies may be based upon the number of system users who haveset recording timers for the program. This number may then be scaledback based upon previously-observed user behavior, statistical analysisor the like, to account for copies that will never be viewed. If aprogram is known to have a watch rate of approximately 50%, for example,then it may be desirable to create copies for 60-75% of the users whohave set timers to ensure an adequate supply of copies, although otherpercentages could be equivalently used depending upon the particularimplementation. Some embodiments may adjust the scaling factor basedupon particular programs or networks, noting that some programs willinevitably have higher watch rates than other programs. Differentprograms, then, may have different numbers of copies recorded anddifferent scaling percentages, as desired.

When the program is broadcast, the RSDVR system 120 suitably creates thedesired number of program copies for storage in storage device 130(function 204). As noted above, program content may be received viaterrestrial broadcasts, network streams, file transfers, satelliteand/or cable broadcasts, in any other manner, and/or in any combinationthereof. Content is appropriately stored in the data storage forsubsequent retrieval and viewing by users of client devices 102.

Various embodiments may perform immediate assignment of certain copies,if desired, to guaranty that certain users will have a dedicated copy ofthe program (function 208). Copies may be immediately assigned to theviewers who are most likely to actually view the program, as determinedin any manner. Viewers who have viewed prior episodes of the program,for example, may be more likely to watch new episodes of the sameprogram. Viewers belonging to certain demographics may be more likely towatch certain programs. Timers created just before broadcast tend to bewatched more often than timers set further in advance of the broadcast.Some or all of these factors may be considered, along with any factorsas desired. Allocation will typically involve updating the metadata 146associated with that particular copy to indicate that the copy isassociated with a particular user, and is therefore not available forfurther allocation.

But a more efficient way to allocate copies 132 of programs stored indata storage 130 is to perform a “late assignment” when a particularuser requests playback (or another action, such as side loading) withregard to the program (function 210). When the user request access toprogram content, RSDVR system 120 suitably chooses an unassigned copy132 of the requested program and updates the associated metadata 140 toindicate that the copy is now allocated to that particular user(function 212). That copy is then removed from the pool of “available”copies, and may also be prevented from automatic deletion, as desired.

If the pool of unallocated copies becomes depleted, RSDVR system 120 maytake any appropriate action. That is, if all of the available copies areassigned to other users when a new user request is received, the RSDVRsystem 120 will need to take other action. In some implementations, theuser will simply be notified that the copy is not available. Furtherembodiments may direct the user to a streaming source for the samecontent, and/or take other actions as desired. It may also be beneficialto update the future recording/retention plan for the same program (orsimilar programs) to prevent similar shortages in the future. Someembodiments may be able to fill subsequent user requests with onlyrecordings having lower quality, or that are otherwise available even ifthe full range of different quality levels is not available.

Unallocated copies 132 of programs can be removed on any temporal basis(function 214). As noted above, it is generally known that programs aremost watched in the hours and days immediately following the broadcast,and that many viewers are less likely to watch recorded programs as theyage in storage. To that end, some of the unallocated copies 132 can bedeleted from storage device 130 according to any schedule. Deletionschedules may vary from program to program, and may be adapted basedupon demand for the program over time. That is, if the demand for aprogram in the days following broadcast is greater than expected, thenthe deletion schedule may be tempered back to prevent a shortage ofcopies. Conversely, the deletion schedule may be made more aggressive ifobserved conditions warrant.

As noted above, the late assignment and scheduled deletion of copies maybe equivalently applied to certain quality levels. This is particularlytrue if the copies are transcoded into multiple sub-copies havingdifferent quality levels prior to the late assignment to a particularviewer. Substantial storage space can be freed up over time by simplyremoving one or more encoded quality levels of one or more copies, evenif the other quality levels are retained. While the missing qualitylevels can adversely impact playback in some instances, this effect canbe reduced by intelligently deleting the least used quality levels forthat program and/or by deleting intermediate quality levels so that“good” playback is still available when conditions warrant, whileretaining “lower” quality levels to guaranty at least some playback evenunder the most adverse conditions. The particular quality levels thatare retained or deleted may vary from program to program, and may beadapted over time based upon observed data, statistical analysis and/orthe like.

In one embodiment, initial copies of a media program can be made basedupon the number of recording timers set, and/or any other information.Some of the unassigned copies may transcoded into one or more sub-copieshaving different encoding qualities, if desired. As time passes, one ormore of the sub-copies can be deleted, recognizing that the deletedsub-copy may not be needed. Indeed, if a lower quality level is deletedwhile a higher quality level is retained, it may be possible tore-transcode the desired level from the higher quality copy. Conversely,if the higher quality sub-copy is deleted, then playback may not beavailable at the highest quality, but nevertheless possible using thelesser quality sub-copy. In still further embodiments, initial copies ofa received program may be assigned to specific viewers at broadcast orrecording time, but transcoded sub-copies may not be assigned untillater. This would allow each user to have a guaranteed copy, withoutrequiring each copy in the system to have a full set of sub-copies forevery possible quality level. The basic concepts set forth herein maytherefore by modified or supplemented in any manner.

A network media recording system therefore comprises several dataprocessing components, each of which are patentable, and/or havepatentable aspects, and/or having processing hardware capable ofperforming automated processes that are patentable. This document is notintended to limit the scope of any claims or inventions in any way, andthe various components and aspects of the system described herein may beseparately implemented apart from the other aspects.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automated process executed by a network serversystem that delivers recorded media programs to a plurality of viewers,the automated process comprising: recording an initial number of copiesof a media program for storage by the network server system; after theinitial number of copies of the media program have been recorded,receiving requests from at least some of the viewers to view a copy ofthe media program; assigning, in response to each of the requests, oneof the copies to the viewer making the request to thereby permit accessto the assigned copy of the media program by the viewer; andsubsequently deleting at least some of the copies of the media programthat are not yet assigned to any of the plurality of viewers.
 2. Theautomated process of claim 1 wherein the initial number of copies isbased upon a number of recording timers set for the media program by theplurality of viewers.
 3. The automated process of claim 1 wherein theinitial number of copies is less than a number of recording timers setfor the media program by the plurality of viewers.
 4. The automatedprocess of claim 1 wherein at least some of the copies of the mediaprogram are transcoded into multiple adaptive streams each encoded atdifferent quality levels.
 5. The automated process of claim 4 whereinthe deleting comprises deleting some, but not all, of the adaptivestreams of the copy of the media program.
 6. The automated process ofclaim 4 wherein the deleting comprises deleting the adaptive streamsencoded at higher qualities before deleting the adaptive streams encodedat lower qualities.
 7. The automated process of claim 1 wherein theinitial copies of the media program are not assigned to specific viewersuntil the request is received from the specific viewer, wherein therequest indicates a desire by the viewer to view the media program. 8.The automated process of claim 1 wherein the network server system is aremote storage digital video recorder (RSDVR) system that comprises aprocessor, non-transitory data storage and an interface to a network. 9.The automated process of claim 8 wherein the initial copies of the mediaprogram are stored in the non-transitory storage, wherein the requestsare received via the network, and wherein the assigned copies of themedia program are delivered to client devices as media streams via thenetwork.
 10. A network server system that delivers recorded mediaprograms to a plurality of viewers, the system comprising a processor,non-transitory data storage and an interface to a network, wherein thenon-transitory data storage comprises computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processor, perform an automated processcomprising: recording an initial number of copies of a media program forstorage by the network server system; after the initial number of copiesof the media program have been recorded, receiving requests from atleast some of the viewers to view a copy of the media program;assigning, in response to each of the requests received, one of thecopies to the viewer making the request to thereby permit access to theassigned copy of the media program by the viewer; and subsequentlydeleting at least some of the copies of the media program that are notyet assigned to any of the plurality of viewers.
 11. The network serversystem of claim 10 wherein the initial number of copies is based upon anumber of recording timers set for the media program by the plurality ofviewers.
 12. The network server system of claim 10 wherein at least someof the copies of the media program are transcoded into multiple adaptivestreams each encoded at different quality levels, and wherein thedeleting comprises deleting some, but not all, of the adaptive streamsof the copy of the media program.
 13. The network server system of claim12 wherein the deleting comprises deleting the adaptive streams encodedat higher qualities before deleting the adaptive streams encoded atlower qualities.
 14. The network server system of claim 10 wherein thenetwork server system is a remote storage digital video recorder (RSDVR)system.
 15. The network server system of claim 14 wherein the requestsare received via the network, and wherein the assigned copies of themedia program are delivered to client devices as media streams via thenetwork.
 16. An automated process performed by a remote storage digitalvideo recorder (RSDVR) system comprising a non-transitory data storage,a processor and an interface to a network, the automated processcomprising: determining a number of copies of a media program to berecorded for later viewing by a plurality of viewers having access tothe RSDVR system; storing the number of copies of the media program in apooled arrangement by the RSDVR system, wherein individual copies of themedia program are not assigned to a specific viewer at the time ofstorage; after the number of copies are stored, responding to requestsfrom the plurality of viewers, wherein the requests indicate a desire toobtain access to a copy of the media program stored by the RSDVR system;responding to each of the requests by performing, by the RSDVR system, alate assignment in which one of the copies in the pooled arrangement isassigned to the viewer making the request to thereby provide the viewerwith access to the assigned copy of the media program; and subsequentlydeleting at least some of the previously-recorded copies of the mediaprogram that are not yet assigned to any of the plurality of viewers.17. The automated process of claim 16 wherein at least some of thecopies of the media program are transcoded into multiple adaptivestreams each encoded at different quality levels.
 18. The automatedprocess of claim 17 wherein the deleting comprises deleting some, butnot all, of the adaptive streams of the copy of the media program. 19.The automated process of claim 18 wherein the deleting comprisesdeleting the adaptive streams encoded at higher qualities beforedeleting the adaptive streams encoded at lower qualities.